Soil CO2 efflux vs. soil respiration: Implications for flux models

In the long term, all CO₂ produced in the soil must be emitted by the surface and soil CO₂ efflux (FCO₂) must correspond to soil respiration (R_soil). In the short term, however, the efflux can deviate from the instantaneous soil respiration, if the amount of CO₂ stored in the soil pore-space (SCO₂) is changing. We measured FCO₂ continuously for one year using an automated chamber system. Simultaneously, vertical soil profiles of CO₂ concentration, moisture, and temperature were measured in order to assess the changes in the amount of CO₂ stored in the soil. R_soil was calculated as the sum of the rate of change of the CO₂ storage over time and FCO₂. The experiment was split into a warm and a cold season. The dependency of soil respiration and soil efflux on soil temperature and on soil moisture was analyzed separately. Only the moisture-driven model of the warm season was significantly different for FCO₂ and R_soil. At our site, a moisture-driven soil-respiration model derived from CO₂ efflux data would underestimate the importance of soil moisture. This effect can be attributed to a temporary storage of CO₂ in the soil pore-space after rainfalls where up to 40% of the respired CO₂ were stored.     

A new technique to measure soil CO2 efflux at constant CO2 concentration

A new principle for measuring soil CO₂ efflux at constant ambient concentration is introduced. The measuring principle relies on the continuous absorption of CO₂ within the system to achieve a constant CO₂ concentration inside the soil chamber at ambient level, thus balancing the amount of CO₂ entering the soil chamber by diffusion from the soil. We report results that show reliable soil CO₂ efflux measurements with the new system. The novel measuring principle does not disturb the natural gradient of CO₂ within the soil, while allowing for continuous capture of the CO₂ released from the soil. It therefore holds great potential for application in simultaneous measurements of soil CO₂ efflux and its δ¹³C, since both variables show sensitivity to a distortion of the soil CO₂ profile commonly found in conventional chamber techniques.     

Soil CO2 efflux in a temperate deciduous forest: Environmental drivers and component contributions

Soil CO₂ efflux is a large component of total respiration in many ecosystems. It is important to understand the environmental controls on soil CO₂ efflux, in order to evaluate potential responses of ecosystems to climate change. This study investigated the relationship between total soil CO₂ efflux and soil temperature, soil moisture and solar radiation on an interannual basis for a plot of temperate deciduous ancient semi-natural woodland at Wytham Woods in central southern England. We also aimed to quantify the contribution of soil organic matter decomposition (SOM), root-and-rhizosphere respiration, and mycorrhizal respiration components to total soil CO₂ efflux, and determine their environmental correlates. Total soil CO₂ efflux was measured regularly from April 2006 to December 2008 and found to average 4.1 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in both 2007 and 2008. In addition, we applied a recently developed approach to partition the efflux into SOM, root-and-rhizosphere, and mycorrhizal components in situ using mesh bags. SOM decomposition, root-and-rhizosphere, and mycorrhizal respiration were estimated to contribute 70 ± 6%, 22 ± 6% and 8 ± 3% of total soil CO₂ efflux respectively, equating to 3.0 ± 0.3, 0.9 ± 0.2 and 0.3 ± 0.1 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. In order to avoid the effect of temporal correlation between variables caused by seasonality, we investigated interannual variability by examining the relationship between CO₂ flux anomalies and anomalies in environmental variables. Variation in soil temperature explained 50% of the interannual variance in soil CO₂ efflux, and soil moisture a further 18% of the residual variance. Solar radiation, as a proxy for plant photosynthesis, had no significant effect on total soil CO₂ efflux, but was positively correlated with root-and-rhizosphere respiration, and mycorrhizal respiration. The relationship between anomalies in soil CO₂ efflux and soil temperature was highly significant, with a sensitivity of 0.164 ± 0.023 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ °C⁻¹. For mean peak summer efflux rates (2.03 μmol CO₂ m² s⁻¹), this is equivalent to 8% per °C, or a Q₁₀ temperature sensitivity of 2.2 ± 0.2. We demonstrate the utility of an anomaly analysis approach and conclude that soil temperature is the key driver of total soil CO₂ efflux primarily through its positive relationship with SOM-decomposition rate.     

Soil CO2 efflux following rotary tillage of a tropical soil

Stopping the increase of atmospheric CO₂ level is an important task and information on how to implement adjustments on tillage practices could help lower soil CO₂ emissions would be helpful. We describe how rotary tiller use on a red latosol affected soil CO₂ efflux. The impact of changing blade rotation speed and rear shield position on soil CO₂ efflux was investigated. Significant differences among treatments were observed up to 10 days after tillage. Cumulative CO₂ efflux was as much as 40% greater when blade rotation of 216 rpm and a lowered rear shield was compared to blade rotation of 122 rpm and raised shield. This preliminary work suggests that adjusting rotary tiller settings could help reduce CO₂ efflux close to that of undisturbed soil, thereby helping to conserve soil carbon in tropical environments.     

Measurement of soil CO2 efflux using soda lime absorption: both quantitative and reliable

Measurement of soil CO₂ efflux using a non-flow-through steady-state (NFT-SS) chamber with alkali absorption of CO₂ by soda lime was tested and compared with a flow-through non-steady-state (FT-NSS) IRGA method to assess suitability of using soda lime for field monitoring over large spatial scales and integrated over a day. Potential errors and artifacts associated with the soda lime chamber method were investigated and improvements made. The following issues relating to quantification and reliable measurement of soil CO₂ efflux were evaluated: (i) absorption capacity of the soda lime, (ii) additional and thus artifactual absorption of CO₂ by soda lime during the experimental procedure, (iii) variation in the CO₂ concentration inside the chamber headspace, and (iv) effects of chamber closure on soil CO₂ efflux. Soil CO₂ efflux, as measured using soda lime (with a range of quantities: 50, 100, and 200 g per 0.082 m² ground area enclosed in chamber), was compared with transient IRGA measurements as a reference method that is based on well-established physical principles, using several forms of spatial and temporal comparisons. Natural variation in efflux rates ranged from 2 to 5.5 g C m⁻² day⁻¹ between different chambers and over different days. A comparison of the IRGA-based assay with measurement based on soda lime yielded an overall correlation coefficient of 0.82. The slope of the regression line was not significantly different from the 1:1 line, and the intercept was not significantly different from the origin. This result indicated that measurement of CO₂ efflux by soda lime absorption was quantitatively similar and unbiased in relation to the reference method. The soda lime method can be a highly practical method for field measurements if implemented with due care (in terms of drying and weighing soda lime, and in minimizing leakages), and validated for specific field conditions. A detailed protocol is presented for use of the soda lime method for measurement of CO₂ efflux from field soils.     

Relationship between soil CO2 concentrations and forest-floor CO2 effluxes

To better understand the biotic and abiotic factors that control soil CO₂ efflux, we compared seasonal and diurnal variations in simultaneously measured forest-floor CO₂ effluxes and soil CO₂ concentration profiles in a 54-year-old Douglas fir forest on the east coast of Vancouver Island. We used small solid-state infrared CO₂ sensors for long-term continuous real-time measurement of CO₂ concentrations at different depths, and measured half-hourly soil CO₂ effluxes with an automated non-steady-state chamber. We describe a simple steady-state method to measure CO₂ diffusivity in undisturbed soil cores. The method accounts for the CO₂ production in the soil and uses an analytical solution to the diffusion equation. The diffusivity was related to air-filled porosity by a power law function, which was independent of soil depth. CO₂ concentration at all depths increased with increase in soil temperature, likely due to a rise in CO₂ production, and with increase in soil water content due to decreased diffusivity or increased CO₂ production or both. It also increased with soil depth reaching almost 10 mmol mol⁻¹ at the 50-cm depth. Annually, soil CO₂ efflux was best described by an exponential function of soil temperature at the 5-cm depth, with the reference efflux at 10 °C (F₁₀) of 2.6 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and the Q₁₀ of 3.7. No evidence of displacement of CO₂-rich soil air with rain was observed.Effluxes calculated from soil CO₂ concentration gradients near the surface closely agreed with the measured effluxes. Calculations indicated that more than 75% of the soil CO₂ efflux originated in the top 20 cm soil. Calculated CO₂ production varied with soil temperature, soil water content and season, and when scaled to 10 °C also showed some diurnal variation. Soil CO₂ efflux and concentrations as well as soil temperature at the 5-cm depth varied in phase. Changes in CO₂ storage in the 0–50 cm soil layer were an order of magnitude smaller than measured effluxes. Soil CO₂ efflux was proportional to CO₂ concentration at the 50-cm depth with the slope determined by soil water content, which was consistent with a simple steady-state analytical model of diffusive transport of CO₂ in the soil. The latter proved successful in calculating effluxes during 2004.     

C and N in soil organic matter density fractions under elevated atmospheric CO2: Turnover vs. stabilization

Turnover of C and N in an arable soil under Free Air Carbon Dioxide (FACE) experiment was studied by the use of ¹³C natural abundance and ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizers. Wheat was kept four growing seasons under ambient and elevated CO₂ concentrations and fertilized for three growing seasons. Density fractionation of soil organic matter (SOM) allowed to track ¹³C and ¹⁵N in free particulate organic matter (fPOM; <1.6 g cm⁻³), particulate organic matter occluded within aggregates with two densities (oPOM 1.6, oPOM 1.6-2.0 g cm⁻³), and in mineral-associated organic matter (>2.0 g cm⁻³) fractions. Elevated CO₂ and N fertilization did not significantly affect C and N contents in the bulk soil. Calculated mean residence time (MRT) of C and N revealed the qualitative differences of SOM density fractions: (i) the shortest MRT_C and MRT_N in fPOM confirmed high availability of this fraction to decomposition. Larger C/N ratio of fPOM under elevated vs. ambient CO₂ indicated an increasing recalcitrance of FACE-derived plant residues. (ii) There was no difference in MRT of C and N between lighter and heavier oPOMs probably due to short turnover time of soil aggregates which led to oPOM mixing. The increase of MRT_C and MRT_N in both oPOMs during the experiment confirmed the progressive degradation of organic material within aggregates. (iii) Constant turnover rates of C in the mineral fraction neither confirmed nor rejected the assumed stabilization of SOM to take place in the mineral fraction. Moreover, a trend of decreasing of C and N amounts in the Min fraction throughout the experiment was especially pronounced for C under elevated CO₂. Hence, along with the progressive increase of C_FACE in the Min fraction the overall losses of C under elevated CO₂ may occur at the expense of older “pre-FACE” C.     

Temperature dependence of soil CO2 efflux is strongly modulated by seasonal patterns of moisture availability in a Mediterranean ecosystem

Extensive research has focused on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. However, in Mediterranean ecosystems, soil respiration may have a pulsed response to precipitation events, especially during prolonged dry periods. Here, we investigate temporal variations in soil respiration (R_s), soil temperature (T) and soil water content (SWC) under three different land uses (a forest area, an abandoned agricultural field and a rainfed olive grove) in a dry Mediterranean area of southeast Spain, and evaluate the relative importance of soil temperature and water content as predictors of R_s. We hypothesize that soil moisture content, rather than soil temperature, becomes the major factor controlling CO₂ efflux rates in this Mediterranean ecosystem during the summer dry season. Soil CO₂ efflux was measured monthly between January 2006 and December 2007 using a portable soil respiration instrument fitted with a soil respiration chamber (LI-6400-09). Mean annual soil respiration rates were 2.06 ± 0.07, 1.71 ± 0.09, and 1.12 ± 0.12 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in the forest, abandoned field and olive grove, respectively. R_s was largely controlled by soil temperature above a soil water content threshold value of 10% at 0-15 cm depth for forest and olive grove, and 15% for abandoned field. However, below those thresholds R_s was controlled by soil moisture. Exponential and linear models adequately described R_s responses to environmental variables during the growing and dry seasons. Models combining abiotic (soil temperature and soil rewetting index) and biotic factors (above-ground biomass index and/or distance from the nearest tree) explained between 39 and 73% of the temporal variability of R_s in the forest and olive grove. However, in the abandoned field, a single variable - either soil temperature (growing season) or rewetting index (dry season) - was sufficient to explain between 51 and 63% of the soil CO₂ efflux. The fact that the rewetting index, rather than soil water content, became the major factor controlling soil CO₂ efflux rates during the prolonged summer drought emphasizes the need to quantify the effects of rain pulses in estimates of net annual carbon fluxes from soil in Mediterranean ecosystems.     

Interannual and interseasonal soil CO2 efflux and VOC exchange rates in a Mediterranean holm oak forest in response to experimental drought

Climate models predict drier conditions in the next decades in the Mediterranean basin. Given the importance of soil CO₂ efflux in the global carbon balance and the important role of soil monoterpene and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soil ecology, we aimed to study the effects of the predicted drought on soil CO₂, monoterpenes and other VOC exchange rates and their seasonal and interannual variations. We decreased soil water availability in a Mediterranean holm oak forest soil by means of an experimental drought system performed since 1999 to the present. Measurements of soil gas exchange were carried out with IRGA, GC and PTR-MS techniques during two annual campaigns of contrasting precipitation. Soil respiration was twice higher the wet year than the dry year (2.27±0.26 and 1.05±0.15, respectively), and varied seasonally from 3.76±0.85 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in spring, to 0.13±0.01 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in summer. These results highlight the strong interannual and interseasonal variation in CO₂ efflux in Mediterranean ecosystems. The drought treatment produced a significant soil respiration reduction in drought plots in the wet sampling period. This reduction was even higher in wet springs (43% average reduction). These results show (1) that soil moisture is the main factor driving seasonal and interannual variations in soil respiration and (2) that the response of soil respiration to increased temperature is constrained by soil moisture. The results also show an additional control of soil CO₂ efflux by physiology and phenology of trees and animals. Soil monoterpene exchange rates ranged from −0.01 to 0.004 nmol m⁻² s⁻¹, thus the contribution of this Mediterranean holm oak forest soil to the total monoterpenes atmospheric budget seems to be very low. Responses of individual monoterpenes and VOCs to the drought treatment were different depending on the compound. This suggests that the effect of soil moisture reduction in the monoterpenes and VOC exchange rates seems to be dependent on monoterpene and VOC type. In general, soil monoterpene and other VOC exchange rates were not correlated with soil CO₂ efflux. In all cases, only a low proportion of variance was explained by the soil moisture changes, since almost all VOCs increased their emission rates in summer 2005, probably due to the effect of high soil temperature. Results indicate thus that physical and biological processes in soil are controlling soil VOC exchange but further research is needed on how these factors interact to produce the observed VOCs exchange responses.     

Short-term effects of clearfelling on soil CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes in a Sitka spruce plantation

We examined the effects of forest clearfelling on the fluxes of soil CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O in a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantation on an organic-rich peaty gley soil, in Northern England. Soil CO₂, CH₄, N₂O as well as environmental factors such as soil temperature, soil water content, and depth to the water table were recorded in two mature stands for one growing season, at the end of which one of the two stands was felled and one was left as control. Monitoring of the same parameters continued thereafter for a second growing season. For the first 10 months after clearfelling, there was a significant decrease in soil CO₂ efflux, with an average efflux rate of 4.0 g m⁻² d⁻¹ in the mature stand (40-year) and 2.7 g m⁻² d⁻¹ in clearfelled site (CF). Clearfelling turned the soil from a sink (−0.37 mg m⁻² d⁻¹) for CH₄ to a net source (2.01 mg m⁻² d⁻¹). For the same period, soil N₂O fluxes averaged 0.57 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ in the CF and 0.23 mg m⁻² d⁻¹ in the 40-year stand. Clearfelling affected environmental factors and lead to higher daily soil temperatures during the summer period, while it caused an increase in the soil water content and a rise in the water table depth. Despite clearfelling, CO₂ remained the dominant greenhouse gas in terms of its greenhouse warming potential.     

Changes in forest soil organic matter pools after a decade of elevated CO2 and O3

The impact of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) may be mitigated, in part, by enhanced rates of net primary production and greater C storage in plant biomass and soil organic matter (SOM). However, C sequestration in forest soils may be offset by other environmental changes such as increasing tropospheric ozone (O₃) or vary based on species-specific growth responses to elevated CO₂. To understand how projected increases in atmospheric CO₂ and O₃ alter SOM formation, we used physical fractionation to characterize soil C and N at the Rhinelander Free Air CO₂-O₃ Enrichment (FACE) experiment. Tracer amounts of ¹⁵NH₄⁺ were applied to the forest floor of Populus tremuloides, P. tremuloides-Betula papyrifera and P. tremuloides-Acer saccharum communities exposed to factorial CO₂ and O₃ treatments. The ¹⁵N tracer and strongly depleted ¹³C-CO₂ were traced into SOM fractions over four years. Over time, C and N increased in coarse particulate organic matter (cPOM) and decreased in mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) under elevated CO₂ relative to ambient CO₂. As main effects, neither CO₂ nor O₃ significantly altered ¹⁵N recovery in SOM. Elevated CO₂ significantly increased new C in all SOM fractions, and significantly decreased old C in fine POM (fPOM) and MAOM over the duration of our study. Overall, our observations indicate that elevated CO₂ has altered SOM cycling at this site to favor C and N accumulation in less stable pools, with more rapid turnover. Elevated O₃ had the opposite effect, significantly reducing cPOM N by 15% and significantly increasing the C:N ratio by 7%. Our results demonstrate that CO₂ can enhance SOM turnover, potentially limiting long-term C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems; plant community composition is an important determinant of the magnitude of this response.     

Changes in soil microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activities under elevated CO2 affect fine root decomposition processes in a Mongolian oak ecosystem

The relationships between soil microbial properties and fine root decomposition processes under elevated CO₂ are poorly understood. To address this question, we determined soil microbial biomass carbon (SMB-C) and nitrogen (SMB-N), enzymes related to soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, the abundance of cultivable N-fixing bacteria and cellulolytic fungi, fine root organic matter, lignin and holocellulose decomposition, and N mineralization from 2006 to 2007 in a Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fischer ex Ledebour) ecosystem in northeastern China. The experiment consisted of three treatments: elevated CO₂ chambers, ambient CO₂ chambers, and chamberless plots. Fine roots had significantly greater organic matter decomposition rates under elevated CO₂. This corresponded with significantly greater SMB-C. Changes in the activities of protease and phenol oxidase under elevated CO₂ could not explain the changes in fine root N release and lignin decomposition rates, respectively, while holocellulose decomposition rate had the same response to experimental treatments as did cellulase activity. Changes in cultivable N-fixing bacterial and cellulolytic fungal abundances in response to experimental treatments were identical to those of N mineralization and lignin decomposition rates, respectively, suggesting that the two indices were closely related to fine root N mineralization and lignin decomposition. Our results showed that the increased fine root organic matter, lignin and holocellulose decomposition, and N mineralization rates under elevated CO₂ could be explained by shifts in SMB-C and the abundance of cellulolytic fungi and N-fixing bacteria. Enzyme activities are not reliable for the assessment of fine root decomposition and more attention should be given to the measurement of specific bacterial and fungal communities.     

Effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on soil respiration under ponderosa pine

Soil respiration represents the integrated response of plant roots and soil organisms to environmental conditions and the availability of C in the soil. A multi-year study was conducted in outdoor sun-lit controlled-environment chambers containing a reconstructed ponderosa pine/soil-litter system. The study used a 2×2 factorial design with two levels of CO₂ and two levels of O₃ and three replicates of each treatment. The objectives of our study were to assess the effects of long-term exposure to elevated CO₂ and O₃, singly and in combination, on soil respiration, fine root growth and soil organisms. Fine root growth and soil organisms were included in the study as indicators of the autotrophic and heterotrophic components of soil respiration. The study evaluated three hypotheses: (1) elevated CO₂ will increase C assimilation and allocation belowground increasing soil respiration; (2) elevated O₃ will decrease C assimilation and allocation belowground decreasing soil respiration and (3) as elevated CO₂ and O₃ have opposing effects on C assimilation and allocation, elevated CO₂ will eliminate or reduce the negative effects of elevated O₃ on soil respiration. A mixed-model covariance analysis was used to remove the influences of soil temperature, soil moisture and days from planting when testing for the effects of CO₂ and O₃ on soil respiration. The covariance analysis showed that elevated CO₂ significantly reduced the soil respiration while elevated O₃ had no significant effect. Despite the lack of a direct CO₂ stimulation of soil respiration, there were significant interactions between CO₂ and soil temperature, soil moisture and days from planting indicating that elevated CO₂ altered soil respiration indirectly. In elevated CO₂, soil respiration was more sensitive to soil temperature changes and less sensitive to soil moisture changes than in ambient CO₂. Soil respiration increased more with days from planting in elevated than in ambient CO₂. Elevated CO₂ had no effect on fine root biomass but increased abundance of culturable bacteria and fungi suggesting that these increases were associated with increased C allocation belowground. Elevated CO₂ had no significant effect on microarthropod and nematode abundance. Elevated O₃ had no significant effects on any parameter except it reduced the sensitivity of soil respiration to changes in temperature.     

Effect of heavy metals contamination on root-derived and organic matter-derived CO2 efflux from soil planted with Zea mays

The CO₂ efflux from loamy Haplic Luvisol and heavy metal (HM) uptake by Zea mays L. were studied under increased HM contamination: Cd, Cu, and Ni up to 20, 1000, and 2500 mg kg⁻¹ soil, respectively. Split-root system with contrasting HM concentrations in both soil halves was used to investigate root-mediated HM translocation in uncontaminated soil zones. To separate root-derived and soil organic matter (SOM)-derived CO₂ efflux from soil, ¹⁴CO₂ pulse labeling of 15-, 25-, and 35-days-old plants was applied. The CO₂ evolution from the bare soil was 10.6 μg C–CO₂ d⁻¹ g⁻¹ (32 kg C–CO₂ d⁻¹ ha⁻¹) and was not affected by HM (except 2500 mg Ni kg⁻¹). The average CO₂ efflux from the soil with maize was about two times higher and amounted for about 22.0 μg C–CO₂ d⁻¹ g⁻¹. Portion of assimilates respired in the rhizosphere decreased with plant development from 6.0 to 7.0% of assimilated C for 25-days-old Zea mays to 0.4–2.0% for 45-days-old maize. The effect of the HM on root-derived ¹⁴CO₂ efflux increased with rising HM content in the following order: Cd < Cu < Ni. In Cu and Ni contaminated soils, shoot and root dry matter decreased to 70% and to 50% of the uncontaminated control, respectively. Plants contained much more HM in the roots than in the shoots. A split-root system with contrasting HM concentrations allowed to trace transport of mobile forms of HM by roots from contaminated soil half into the uncontaminated soil half. The portion of mobile HM forms in the soil (1 M NH₄NO₃ extract) increased with contamination and amounted to 9–16%, 2–6% and 1.5–3.5% for Cd, Cu, and Ni, respectively. Corresponding values for the easily available HM (1 M NH₄OAc extract) were 22–52%, 1–20% and 5–8.5%. Heavy metal availability for plants decreased in the following order: Cd > Cu ≥ Ni. No increase of HM availability in the soil was found after maize cultivation.     

Sources of CO2 efflux from soil and review of partitioning methods

Five main biogenic sources of CO₂ efflux from soils have been distinguished and described according to their turnover rates and the mean residence time of carbon. They are root respiration, rhizomicrobial respiration, decomposition of plant residues, the priming effect induced by root exudation or by addition of plant residues, and basal respiration by microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). These sources can be grouped in several combinations to summarize CO₂ efflux from the soil including: root-derived CO₂, plant-derived CO₂, SOM-derived CO₂, rhizosphere respiration, heterotrophic microbial respiration (respiration by heterotrophs), and respiration by autotrophs. These distinctions are important because without separation of SOM-derived CO₂ from plant-derived CO₂, measurements of total soil respiration have very limited value for evaluation of the soil as a source or sink of atmospheric CO₂ and for interpreting the sources of CO₂ and the fate of carbon within soils and ecosystems. Additionally, the processes linked to the five sources of CO₂ efflux from soil have various responses to environmental variables and consequently to global warming. This review describes the basic principles and assumptions of the following methods which allow SOM-derived and root-derived CO₂ efflux to be separated under laboratory and field conditions: root exclusion techniques, shading and clipping, tree girdling, regression, component integration, excised roots and insitu root respiration; continuous and pulse labeling, ¹³C natural abundance and FACE, and radiocarbon dating and bomb-¹⁴C. A short sections cover the separation of the respiration of autotrophs and that of heterotrophs, i.e. the separation of actual root respiration from microbial respiration, as well as methods allowing the amount of CO₂ evolved by decomposition of plant residues and by priming effects to be estimated. All these methods have been evaluated according to their inherent disturbance of the ecosystem and C fluxes, and their versatility under various conditions. The shortfalls of existing approaches and the need for further development and standardization of methods are highlighted.     

Soil CO2 flux in six monospecific forest plantations in Southern Rwanda

Forest soils contain the largest carbon stock of all terrestrial biomes and are probably the most important source of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to atmosphere. Soil CO₂ fluxes from 54 to 72-year-old monospecific stands in Rwanda were quantified from March 2006 to December 2007. The influences of soil temperature, soil water content, soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks, soil pH, and stand characteristics on soil CO₂ flux were investigated. The mean annual soil CO₂ flux was highest under Eucalyptus saligna (3.92 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and lowest under Entandrophragma excelsum (3.13 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). The seasonal variation in soil CO₂ flux from all stands followed the same trend and was highest in rainy seasons and lowest in dry seasons. Soil CO₂ flux was mainly correlated to soil water content (R² = 0.36-0.77), stand age (R² = 0.45), soil C stock (R² = 0.33), basal area (R² = 0.21), and soil temperature (R² = 0.06-0.17). The results contribute to the understanding of factors that influence soil CO₂ flux in monocultural plantations grown under the same microclimatic and soil conditions. The results can be used to construct models that predict soil CO₂ emissions in the tropics.     

Soil organic matter dynamics in grassland soils under elevated CO2: Insights from long-term incubations and stable isotopes

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels generally stimulate carbon (C) uptake by plants, but the fate of this additional C largely remains unknown. This uncertainty is due in part to the difficulty in detecting small changes in soil carbon pools. We conducted a series of long-term (170-330 days) laboratory incubation experiments to examine changes in soil organic matter pool sizes and turnover rates in soil collected from an open-top chamber (OTC) elevated CO₂ study in Colorado shortgrass steppe. We measured concentration and isotopic composition of respired CO₂ and applied a two-pool exponential decay model to estimate pool sizes and turnover rates of active and slow C pools. The active and slow C pools of surface soils (5-10 cm depth) were increased by elevated CO₂, but turnover rates of these pools were not consistently altered. These findings indicate a potential for C accumulation in near-surface soil C pools under elevated CO₂. Stable isotopes provided evidence that elevated CO₂ did not alter the decomposition rate of new C inputs. Temporal variations in measured δ¹³C of respired CO₂ during incubation probably resulted mainly from the decomposition of changing mixtures of fresh residue and older organic matter. Lignin decomposition may have contributed to declining δ¹³C values late in the experiments. Isotopic dynamics during decomposition should be taken into account when interpreting δ¹³C measurements of soil respiration. Our study provides new understanding of soil C dynamics under elevated CO₂ through the use of stable C isotope measurements during microbial organic matter mineralization.     

Impact of atmospheric CO2 and plant life forms on soil microbial activities

From the global change perspective, increase of atmospheric CO₂ and land cover transformation are among the major impacts caused by human activities. In this study, we are addressing the combined issues of the effect of CO₂ concentration increase and plant type on soil microbial activities by asking how annual and perennial plant groups affect soil microbial processes under elevated CO₂. The experimental design used a mix of species of different growth forms for both annuals and perennials. Our objective was: (1) to determine how two years of annual or perennial plant cover and CO₂ enrichment could affect Mediterranean soil microbial processes; (2) to test the resistance and the resilience of these soil functional processes after a natural perturbation. We determined the effects of 2 years atmospheric CO₂ enrichment on soil potential respiration (SIR), denitrification (DEA) and nitrification (NEA) activities. We could not find any significant effect of CO₂ increase on SIR, DEA and NEA. However, we found a strong effect of the plant cover type, i.e. annuals versus perennials, on the potential microbial activity related to N cycling. DEA and NEA were significantly higher in soil under annual plants while SIR was not significantly different. To determine whether these changes would survive a natural perturbation, we carried out a rain event experiment once the experimental treatments (i.e. different plant cover and atmospheric CO₂ concentration) were stopped. The soil potential respiration, as expressed by the SIR, was not affected and remained stable. DEA rates converged rapidly under annuals and perennials after the rain event. Under both annuals and perennials NEA increased significantly after the rain event but remained significantly higher in the soil with annual plants. The relative change of the soil microbial processes induced by annual and perennial plants was inversely related to the density and the diversity of the corresponding microbial functional groups.     

Soil CO2 evolution: Response from arginine additions

Short-term response of soil C mineralization following drying/rewetting has been proposed as an indicator of soil microbial activity. Houston Black clay was amended with four rates of arginine to vary microbial responses and keep other soil properties constant. The evolution of CO₂ during 1 and 3 days following rewetting of dried soil was highly related to CO₂ evolution during 10 days following chloroform fumigation (r² = 0.92 and 0.93, respectively) which is a widely used method for soil microbial biomass C, which disrupts cellular membranes. This study suggest that the release of CO₂ following rewetting of dried soil with no amendments other than heat and water can be highly indicative of soil microbial activity and possibly be used as a quantitative measurement of soil biological quality in Houston Black soils.     

Explaining temporal variation in soil CO2 efflux in a mature spruce forest in Southern Germany

An open dynamic chamber system was used to measure the soil CO₂ efflux intensively and continuously throughout a growing season in a mature spruce forest (Picea abies) in Southern Germany. The resulting data set contained a large amount of temporally highly resolved information on the variation in soil CO₂ efflux together with environmental variables. Based on this background, the dependencies of the soil CO₂ efflux rate on the controlling environmental factors were analysed in-depth. Of the abiotic factors, soil temperature alone explained 72% of the variation in the efflux rate, and including soil water content (SWC) as an additional variable increased the explained variance to about 83%. Between April and December, average rates ranged from 0.43 to 5.15 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ (in November and July, respectively) with diurnal variations of up to 50% throughout the experiment. The variability in wind speed above the forest floor influenced the CO₂ efflux rates for measuring locations with a litter layer of relatively low bulk density (and hence relatively high proportions of pore spaces). For the temporal integration of flux rates for time scales of hours to days, however, wind velocities were of no effect, reflecting the fact that wind forcing acts on the transport, but not the production of CO₂ in the soil. The variation in both the magnitude of the basal respiration rate and the temperature sensitivity throughout the growing season was only moderate (coefficient of variation of 15 and 25%, respectively). Soil water limitation of the CO₂ production in the soil could be best explained by a reduction in the temperature-insensitive basal respiration rate, with no discernible effect on the temperature sensitivity. Using a soil CO₂ efflux model with soil temperature and SWC as driving variables, it was possible to calculate the annual soil CO₂ efflux for four consecutive years for which meteorological data were available. These simulations indicate an average efflux sum of 560 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ (SE=22 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹). An alternative model derived from the same data but using temperature alone as a driver over-estimated the annual flux sum by about 7% and showed less inter-annual variability. Given a likely shift in precipitation patterns alongside temperature changes under projected global change scenarios, these results demonstrate the necessity to include soil moisture in models that calculate the evolution of CO₂ from temperate forest soils.